There are a number of foods that are improved by increasing the pH slightly. Tomatoes are another good example though it is easy to over adjust. Many processed foods add acid to preserve color and give some bacterial protection and a small amount of baking soda can improve them.

With tomato sauce citric acid is added as a color preservative and for canning safety. Try taking a small can of sauce and add 0.1 g increments of soda stirring and tasting after each small add. Neutralizing the acid will create a salt so you will get that taste but the acid taste will go down. I find that the sauce will taste "brighter" and the more subtle flavors are brought out then suddenly with one more small add the taste goes downhill! This experiment will only cost you a can of tomato sauce. I've also done this with ciders and found there is a very narrow pH range where the apple flavor is maximized. I've been doing this to see if problematic ingredients for sausage making can be adjusted to make them more "bind friendly". Have some fun with this idea and you'll be a chemist in no time.

Thanks for the lesson Paul. I had some trouble with your first post but I think I understand now...( i was ok in chemistry but that was 45 years ago.) I'll be playing around with this in the near future.Dan.

NCPaul wrote:I used it in the pork and apple sausage recipe of Welch Wizard from your blog. I had trouble mincing the dried apples (very gummy and clumped together) but the bind and overall flavor was great.

That's a great idea. Is that what you call 'hard' cider? I use what you call cider, and we call apple juice - good quality non-alcoholic stuff. I think that Welsh Wizard uses 'hard' cider though. The recipe idea came from him as you say. Young people, in particular, seem to like the sweetness that the juice gives - personally, I'm not that keen on sweet sausage and prefer ones made with a really dry (hard) cider.

I can imagine the apples being a right gummed up mess in the grinder. Sorry about that. I don't mince the apples, I chop them by hand so that it leaves discernable pieces in the mix. Maybe I'd best amend the method. Hope this helps